Exposing the unconscious through the para-architectural photo-essay and prose

Abstract

Para-architecture as a method of design exploits the creative potential within interdisciplinary practices such as philosophy, sculpture, cartoons, as a supplement to conventional design methodologies. This photo essay expands upon such methods originally highlighted within Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Transcripts (1976), in a parallel to unconscious principles of psychoanalytic “site-writing”, as proposed by Jane Rendell. Responding to the Hepworth Wakefield, United Kingdom, as the architectural object, photography and intuitive prose are explored as para-architectural tools of interrogation. Through an original series of photographs and developed prose, a diagnosis and analysis takes place – harnessing the potential of utilizing para-architectural methods to explore the unconscious of cultural architectural interventions. The future potential in subscribing to para-architectural inquiry affords for design ideologies and pedagogy within the discipline to advance the dimensions of prescriptive architecture; encouraging creative responses, whilst also considering the unseen cognitive burdens architecture often places onto communities, cultures, and cities.